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Essence Paths
"All hard work brings profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." -'' Proverbs 14:23'' "Won't hear their talk - I know what I'm doing - It may be wrong - But I gotta get it done - So, shut up!" Heard It Before - Black Flag The Essence Paths of the Elohim are more than just a list of cool powers. They are the Celestial make-up that dictates Source's reasoning for creating the Elohim in the first place. The Essence Paths in the Elohim's occupation, their joy, and the very fabric of their reality. Examples: * Was the Elohim a Messenger of light with the Essence Path of Glory (see Heralds)? Like the Morningstar? Were they created to carry Songs of light to the outer reaches of the Cosmos? * Was the Elohim a Reaper with the Essence Path Households? Did this Elohim of the world beyond create a haven for the faithful departed? * Was the Elohim created simply to be a Demon-slaying Device during the First War in Heaven with Essence Path of the Kiln? A body created of brass, steel, diamond, electricity... All in the name of the Lord's vengeance All the Essence Paths below are open to all Elohim, regardless of their House. However, there are stipulations concerning how much and when. Each Essence Path has a corresponding Essence Mien and your chosen Essence Mien dictates the Primary Essence Path, and no other Essence Paths can ever be at a higher rating than this Primary Essence Path. Another Note Some Essence Path levels state a range of "Elohim's Current Faith Points". This is the amount of Faith the Elohim has BEFORE spending their Faith to use the Aspect. The Heralds The Angels of the First are manifested in Essences that contain Glory, Fire, or the Illumination of Heaven (Including that of the Morningstar). Any Essence that deals with fire, holiness, or the glorious blinding light that cascades from an Angel’s face was the in the purview of the Heralds. 'Path of the Conflagration' This Essence is just as it says, the ability to control, produce, and even become the most primal of Fiery energies. High levels of this Essence allow the Heralds to bequeath their power to all the faithful in the vicinity 'Path of Glory' This Essence is the frequency of Heavenly Light and the Elohim that walk this path use their powers to remind all others, be it mortal, Elohim, or other, what their purpose is in the ineffable plan. 'Path of the Holy' This Essence is a Path that deals exclusively with the powers of Holiness that the Heavenly Host wields and at high levels the Heralds are able to enforce decrees that limit the powers of others. The Keepers The Angels of the Second exemplified the divine currents of creation: whether of blood, wind, or carrying prayers to the Source. These Elohim manifested their Essence in themes of Health, distance, and the Understanding that binds them all together. Maybe the closest house to Man, the Izaschim relish in their tasks of maintaining these currents throughout the whole of the Tellurian, with special attention to Man. 'Path of Stirrings' This Essence of Awakening is the Keeper’s grasp of life itself. The gift of breath, of cognizance and of existing on the Earthly frequency is the purview of the Angels of the Second, and they are loathe to see anyone use this for negative ends. While life is the ultimate goal, higher levels can exhibit unparalleled skills at causing one to become undone. 'Path of Space' The Essence is the Keeper’s purview of the Heavenly expanse in which they dance. Themes of correspondence, perception, and movement, all marry in the eternal waltz of the Rivka’s employment. At the Higher levels of this Essence, the Keeper may share these with the Mortal’s they embrace as charges. 'Path of the Sky' This Essence is the Keeper’s special joy as it allowed them complete freedom of movement to maintain their duties. From simple flight to a state of existence composed of the ebb and flow of weather itself, the Hebel are Angels of wind, air, and altitudes. At the Highest levels of the Essence of the Winds, the Hebel may fuse their essence with the whole of the atmosphere, allowing unparalleled powers of perception. The Devices The Angels of the Third manifest themselves in Essence of the raw elements of Earth and lava, the fury of metal’s birth, and the consecration of new pathways throughout the whole of creation. Traditionally the weapon-makers and creators of the Host, the Devices have little dealing with Men. The world of the Foundation and the Sons of Adam had little truck with each other, and the roiling center of the Earth with it fiery riches was not a place for mortals. 'Path of the Soil' The Eban were caretakers of the Earth, creating metals, ores, and the various types of soil that formed the structure of the terrestrial sphere. Content to be left to their own quiet creations in the dark places underground, the Eban still had a lot to offer the War and those who had the highest level of their Essence-path dealt untold damage to the Fallen. 'Path of the Kiln' The Sharof (whose Angelic roots share ties to the Seraphim, which means to burn) were creators and designers for the Silver City. While the Eban made the foundation of Earth, the Sharof were free to explore the wonders of crystal, Metal, and other more nebulous materials not present on the Terrestrial sphere. The War for the Garden had them explore new aspects of their being, when they were given the opportunity to create weapons, tools, and other implements never before seen in Creation. 'Path of the Conduit' The Shoval are the road-crew of the Universe. While the Eban made the foundation of Earth, and the Sharof played around with their tools, the Shoval were out plowing and exploring the very limits of creation. They worked extensively with the Ophanim, but were more interested in concrete details (no pun intended) than with the fluid nebulous world of configurations. The most gregarious of the Foundation, the Shoval continue laying down blueprints throughout the whole of the cosmos, allowing the rest of the Host access to the highways and by-ways of the roads between worlds. The Spheres The Angels of the Fourth are the great weavers of pattern that implemented the rules of creation. Their Essence paths reflect this, with manifested themes of Light, Patterns, and Portals. These make up the building blocks of reality, far removed from the machinations of man. The Spheres prefer it this way, content to remain behind the scenes, performing their duties in the cold and lonely reaches of the Universe. 'Path of Brilliance' The Nahor are creatures of one of the most fundamental aspects of reality: light. While they lack the raw power of the Herald’s Gift of Radiance, or the clarification of the Keeper’s Essence of Awakening, the Nahor utilize the Essence of Light to craft new possibilities of perception, to use light in ways that Man could never be privy to. 'Path of Configurations' The Ozni were those cold and distant angels who contented themselves with working diligently on the great clockwork of the cosmos. Patterns, frequencies, and cold hard physics were their portfolios, with the upper reaches of their domain dealing with the nebulous concepts of the Time-Space continuum. 'Path of Gateways' The Yarden were set up as the Gatekeepers of the Host, ensuring that some aspects of reality were open to all, and some aspects could only be utilized by the Proper Authorities as it were. Windows, Doors, Wards, Gates, any structure or idea that bars or opens paths is their jurisdiction. Together with the Shoval of the Devices, the Yarden constructed the Other-place known as the House of Many doors. The Choir The Angels of the fifth are the Seraphim, whose name means to burn. Not to be confused with the Herald’s and their mastery of fire, the burn is a reference to the burning of passion that makes up the frequency of the Choir. The Angels of depth, whether of emotion, or the lightless void of the oceans: the Seraphim are keepers storms both physical and expressive. Angels of change, hurricane, water, and yearning, the Seraphim may have the strongest ties to mortals. 'Path of Thirst' The Amasa were granted jurisdiction of the most important aspects of humanity, Man’s ability to understand joy, and its quest to have more. It was this concept that would lead mortals out of the garden, rise above their own station, and eventually claim their title as the Source’s greatest endeavor. For all of this the Amasa remain humble creatures, blessed with preternatural grace and honest undertaking with the Earthly frequency, careful not to let the joy of winning cloud their mission. 'Path of the Tempest' The Raam frequented a realm that was privy only to mortals that dared to explore. The Oceans and the Storms played with were a place of both undreamt danger, and unparalleled beauty. Few mortals were able to grasp either. The Raam just played their parts, content to Dance in the hearts of storms, and ply the currents in the deepest recesses of the world’s waters. The Raam still continue to enjoy their role in the plan, and relish the idea that mortals can now see the great song- dance created all those millennia ago. 'Path of Change' All the Seraphim were close to mortals, but the Shoni were undoubtedly the closest. The concept of sudden change was anathema to a lot of the Elohim, who measured time in thousands of millennia. Humans however, who measured time in the short span of a life-time, took to change like the proverbial duck to water. Creatures of varied mindsets as well as corporeal form, the Shoni remain one of the most fragmented of all the Angel’s Miens. The Guardians The Angels of the sixth are the Kerubhim, the silent guardians of both humanity, and the wild places of the Earth. Man ultimately is an animal, a cherished one to be sure, but no more or less than the rest of creation. The Guardians want to remind Mankind of this fact, and have them remember that they themselves are supposed to be the caretakers of the gifts that they have been given. The Essence paths of the Kerubhim are of Flesh and blood, Flora and Fauna, Silence and the hunt. 'Path of the Creatures' The Kalev took extra time throughout creation, gently molding flesh and blood, scales and feathers, horns and chitin, to craft the wonders of the animal world. This was their joy, and the entire world today is richer for it. There are still some of their favored beasts in the hidden places, the darkest depths of the ocean, or hidden in the Amazon. This is why some of the Kalev have a bitter view of mortals, who wish to exploit and name these creatures. Although they love humans, they see this is a "dick move", and do their best to maintain the veil of secrecy that the wild places still maintain. 'Chosen Beasts of the Kalev': Each Kalev has one animal that they worked extensively with, (I.E., Wolves, Aurochs, Dragonflies) Any of the Kalev can specifically seek these beasts in any of the Essence paths below. This will lower the difficulty by one, and also subtract one of the faith points that must be spent to enact the Essence path. As always, Storyteller is final Arbiter on this, and once a creature is chosen (at Character Creation) it can never be changed 'Path of Blood' The Admon were the Kerubhim who vested their powers in the flesh and blood of creation. Bones, bile, mucus and muscle, the inner workings of the body were their purpose. It is amazes them thusly that so many of the Children of Adam are squeamish about it. Why should mortals be afraid of their own essence? With the Essence of Flesh, a Kerubhim can alter, the clock-work precision of a bodies meat, utilizing its secrets to either hinder or help a target. With the higher levels an Admon can directly affect the life-force that bind humans to the mortal coil. 'Path of the Verdure' The Peretz practically built the Garden by hand (or the more vegetative aspects of it). Angels of the Flora, and the more wild aspects of it, these Kerubhim dealt in life like their brethren, but forswear the messy aspects of blood and guts that they needed. Plants were simpler, less violent, (in some cases) and made a whole lot less of a mess. The Essence of the wild works with Plant-life, with the higher levels being to take a more active hand in developing new aspects that the world of man has yet to see. 'Chosen Plant-life of the Peretz': Each Peretz has one plant-species that they worked extensively with, (I.E., apples, roses, sphagnum moss) Any of the Peretz can specifically work with said plants in any of the Essence paths below. This will lower the difficulty by one, and also subtract one of the faith points that must be spent to enact the Essence path. As always, Storyteller is final Arbiter on this, and once a such a plant is chosen (at Character Creation) it can never be changed. The Reapers The Angels of the Next worlds manifest their Essence with motifs of whimpers rather than bangs. The Benehim used their blessings to ensure that when creation was spent, it would return to source. This would allow the other Elohim to continue their song-dance of creation. Forever the bearers of mercy, the harvesters utilize their Essences for gentleness, rather than the harsh trappings many attribute to them. 'Path of Rest' The Nechum were forever set aside during creation. Their role was not one of Creation, but one of removal. Though there was certainly plenty of action involved in their paths, the action was at odds with the rest of the spectrum. Death is a way of life however, and this paradox is one the Nechum relish in. 'Path of the Ghosts' The Acher were the second face of death to the Benehim. While the Nechum were there to ensure that room was made by removing life, the Acher were created to ensure that the energy (the soul) remaining after death was well taken care of. The Acher were instrumental in ensuring that humans, the most precious of endeavors, were well received in their homecomings to Paradise. (For more information on most of these abilities, see Wraith: The Oblivion ) 'Path of the Households' The last step of Death was a place set aside for the Spiritual energy left after Mortals flesh was taken by the Nechum. The Eifah, prolific with themes of doorways, spatial reasoning, and barriers, designed a place of rest where Man could dwell forever in Source. The Essence of the Households concerns itself with the Households realms.; All the pathway sof gauntlets, shrouds, labyrinths, umbras, and holds the key to all of them. While primarily associated with the Land of the Dead, the Eifah are able to perceive all the walls erected that house each individual realm. The Watchers The Angels of the Eighth have Essence that they created while on Dirt-side. These Paths are a testament to their adaptability and tenacity. Many other houses are quick to adopt these paths when sent on missions for any length of time, much to the chagrin of the faintly charmed Watchers. These Essences are ones that manifest in an ability to work with humanity, and the limiting aspects of the Earthly frequency. 'Path of Vibrations' The Zerem were Watchers that gave themselves over to understanding the rules that dealt with vibrations, frequency, and the invisible pulses that thrum through the whole of existence. Everything that exists can be understood as harmonics, and the Zerem reflect these harmonics in their very essence. While many assume that they are just Angels of noise, they quickly gain a new perspective when the Zerem utilize these Essences in heated combat. 'Path of the Rubrics' The Batzra were Watchers that gave themselves over to understanding the rules that cemented the binding laws of the Earthly frequency. Physics, something set aside to keep mortals safe, was not a concept that the Elohim needed to worry about. However, the Batzra utilize these Essences to work with the essential rules of the cosmos, rather than break them in pursuit of their own end. 'Path of Mortals' The Kava were Watchers that gave themselves over to understanding humanity in a way that the Silver-City could never hope to comprehend. Gifts of Understanding and Empathy, as well as the rage and sadness that marries with them, are the motifs that the Kava celebrate and mourn. The Powers Not all Essence Paths are available for the Host. Some are taught to only a chosen few upon millennia of flawless service in the name of the Throne. The following Path is offered only when an Elohim reaches Rank 3, a Power in the Source’s Army. 'Path of The Wheel' This Path allows the Elohim to allow the Great Wheel of Creation to slip a little. While the majority of Elohim are loathe to see this happen (especially the Spheres), it is occasionally necessary for the greater good. The House of Many Doors The astute reader may wonder about the other-place known as the House of Many soors. While true it does contain an entrance into the Outside of Creation, this entrance is closely guarded by high-ranking Spheres under the direction of Saraquel. Those wily Elohim who wish to jump the gun and utilize this door-way better be on their A-Game.